Reaction mechanism of metal and pyrite under HPHT conditions and improvement of the properties

Pyrite tailings are the main cause of acid mine wastewater. An idea was put forward to more effectively use pyrite, and it was modified by exploiting the reducibility of metal represented by Al under high-pressure and high-temperature (HPHT) conditions. Upon increasing the Al addition, the conductivity of pyrite were effectively improved, which is nearly 734-times higher than that of unmodified pyrite at room temperature. First-principles calculations were used to determine the influence of a high pressure on the pyrite lattice. The high pressure increased the thermal stability of pyrite, reduced pyrite to high-conductivity Fe7S8 (pyrrhotite) by Al, and prevented the formation of iron. Through hardness and density tests the influence of Al addition on the hardness and toughness of samples was explored. Finally the possibility of using other metal-reducing agents to improve the properties of pyrite was discussed.

Bacterial communities in the polluted area of pyrite tailings: From the upstream, pollutant source, and to the downstream

Pyrite tailings can cause serious pollution to the surface water as the strong acidity, high iron and sulfate concentration in the leachate. The bacterial communities of pyrite tailings polluted area were still unclear which could restrict the recognition of the pyrite tailings pollution effect and further impede the development of microbial or ecology treatment technologies. In this study, the bacterial communities in the polluted area of pyrite tailings, from the upstream, pollutant source, and to the downstream, were analyzed with Illumina HiSeq sequencing. Results showed that Acinetobacter and Flavobacterium were abundant in the water and sediment of upstream and downstream while Bacteroides, Lactobacillus, and Akkermansia were abundant in the pollutant source. Sulfur-metabolizing or iron-metabolizing bacteria extensively existed in the polluted area in which Acidiferrobacter, Ferrithrix, and Desulfovibrio played crucial roles on the whole communities. Sulfur-metabolizing bacteria (e.g. Thiomonas, Sulfurospirillum, and Desulfobulbus) and iron-metabolizing bacteria (e.g. Ferrimicrobium, Ferrithrix, and Ferrovum) were introduced to the river polluted by pyrite tailings. Pyrite tailings can remarkably change the physicochemical characteristics and bacterial communities of river water and sediment.

Biogeotechnology Application in the Recovery of Metals from the Wastes of Processing Plants

In order to recovery base and precious metals from processing plants tailings of Southern Ural and the Murmansk region, test work on heap biooxidation using these products was carried out. These tests involved the chemical and mineralogical analyses of the samples, the bacteria adaptation for the products tested, heap biooxidation in percolation columns, base metals (copper, nickel, zinc) precipitation and gold cyanidation. The recoveries of base metals to the solution from the products of magnetic separation of the wastes were 75% Ni and 50% Cu. This work is aimed at studying sustainability of magnetic separation products and pyrite tailings biotechnological processing. Also, gold and base metals recovery to the solution and the options of base metals removal from the solutions were studied.

Bioprocessing of Mining and Metallurgical Wastes Containing Non-Ferrous and Precious Metals

Mining and metallurgical treatments of sulphide ores are characterised by present significant losses of non-ferrous and precious metals as different types of waste. These elements are accumulated in heaps due to the lack of efficient technology for the recovery of the metals from metallurgical waste. The treatment of two types of industrial metallurgical waste (copper converter slag and old flotation pyrite tailings) containing non-ferrous and precious metals were examined in the laboratory. Leaching of the slag containing 2.74% Cu (as digenite, bornite, and free metal) and 2.49% Zn (as a ferrite ZnFe2O4 and silicate) by an Fe3+-containing solution was studied. The effect of various experimental parameters on the leaching dynamics of copper, zinc, and iron under batch conditions was investigated. The following experimental parameters were recommended: a pH of 1.5, a pulp density of 10% (w/v), a temperature of 70 °C, and an initial Fe3+ concentration of 15 g/L. Leaching under these conditions resulted in the solubilisation of 89.4% copper and 35.3% zinc within 2.5 hours. Percolation leaching of the pyrite tailings containing 0.29% Cu (as chalcopyrite), 0.26% Zn (as sphalerite), 0.00007% gold, and 0.00108% silver was also studied. Acidic percolation leaching and the resulting biooxidation lasting 134 days resulted in the solubilisation of 73.4% zinc and 50.8% copper. The recovery rates of gold and silver from the bioleaching residues by cyanidation were 57.2% and 50.7%, respectively. The data obtained in the present work may be used to estimate the operating parameters for the industrial-scale processing of non-ferrous and precious metals from mining and metallurgical waste.